Nordeste and Povoação visited by EUROPARC representative

Within the European Charter for Sustainable Tourism application, Nordeste and Povoação where visited, on the 12th and 13th of March, the EUROPARC verifier that accompanies the process, Fernando Correia. With the project’s partners representatives, he visited the “Lands of Priolo”, gathering with the representatives of the different public entities and many business man that have been involved in the application.

The verification started with a meeting in Furnas Monitoring and Investigation Center (CMIF) with the local technician team, in which it was reviewed application process delivered to EUROPARC in January 2012 and some of the doubts were clarified. It was also possible to reunite with the responsible persons of the different partners entities in the process.


After lunch, they visited Faial da Terra (Sanguinho’s village) and Água Retorta, where it was given some information about the actions that are to take place in these villages and are included in the European Charter for Sustainable Tourism Action Plan.


On the second day, the visit began with a meeting in Nordeste’s Town Hall and continued with a tour to this Municipality, with the opportunity to know better the handicraft of the “Folha de Milho” in Salga and Ribeira dos Caldeirões park in Achada. The lunch in Nordeste had the presence of different business man from Nordeste, also involved in the process. After this, they visited the nursery of the Nordeste Forest Service Division. The visit ended with a meeting with the President of Povoação Town Hall and a final gathering with the local technician team to do a final balance of this visit.


The Verifier will elaborate a report to deliver to the EUROPARC panel responsible for the European Charter for Sustainable Tourism accolade attribution. The panel decision will be known in September.


The European Charter for Sustainable Tourism to the “Lands of Priolo” is an application engadged by the Regional Secretariat for the Environment and the Sea, to the São Miguel Natural Island Park in the municipalities of Nordeste and povoação, within the Sustainable Laurel Life Project’s, in a partnership between SPEA, DRRF, DRT, Nordeste Municipality and ASDERPR.

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Life sustainable Laurel gathers executive comission

On the 27th of february, in the Life Sustainable Laurel headquarters, in Lomba do Carro, Povoação, the executive commission of this project gathered once again.. This commission integrates all the Life project partners and meets quarterly to discuss and plan the actions that are being developed. With the project getting to an end by the end of the year, the next few months represent a lot of work and new developments.

Besides the technicians from the different partners of the project, the Regional Director for the Environment, João Bettencourt and the São Miguel Natural Island Park’s Director, Hélia Palha, were also present.

During this meeting, the project team showed the progress accomplished on the last months, highlighting the work done for the recovery of the Peatbogs of the Planalto dos Graminhais and the application to the European Charter for Sustainable Tourism. At discussion were also the activities planned to 2012, the last year of the project. During this year, there is a lot of work yet to be done and new updates will certainly arise, in terms of the work done to the conservation of the habitats and on the awareness and support actions for sustainable tourism.

On the next day, the Sustainable Laurel Project team had a meeting with Raquel Ferreira, from the Regional Secretariat for the Environment and the Sea, and together they defined some actions to be included on the São Miguel Natural Island Park’s Management Plan, concerning the SPA Pico da Vara/Ribeira do Guilherme.

This collaboration is possible due to the fact that the Life Sustainable Laurel Project takes place in this SPA. These circumstances enable the SPEA technicians’ team with a deep knowledge about the Special Protected Area and can contribute in a more accurate way to her maintenance. The proliferation of the invasive flora species is the greatest threat to the conservation of the important natural habitats on this area of the São Miguel Natural Island Park.

You can learn more about this project and actions by visiting http://life-laurissilva.spea.pt